Forum 2: Leading Ladies: Making a Difference in the Corporate World

Just last year, the Philippines ranked 10th in the 2017 Global Gender Gap report. Despite falling 3 notches from its 7th position in 2016, it remains to be Asia’s most gender equal country.

In addition, statistics from the Philippine Commission of Women reveal that the unemployment rate of women in recent years were relatively lower than that of men.

Filipinas of today are also able to revel in the benefits of the laws that eliminate discrimination in their economic, political, and social lives, thanks to the relentless efforts of our women legislators. These laws ensure that men and women are treated equally in terms of wage, promotion and other employment benefits.

Not bad right? If sound statistics and passed laws are the manifestations of the success toward gender parity, the Philippines has indeed come a long way in the road towards gender parity. But the real question here is, is it enough?

“Globally, women earn only three-quarters as much as men—even with the same level of education, and in the same occupation,” said Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund and the first woman to hold this position.

In spite of all the progress women have achieved in this male-dominated society, women still have to work twice harder than men to get to their position.

As it happens, gender discrimination is also more rampant in industries traditionally tailored for men. In some cases, even breaking the glass ceiling is not enough. Even top females executives from major companies still have to deal with discrimination in a daily basis.

Marife Agudo who steers Hyundai Asia Resources Inc., shared her most discriminating experience during a meeting with a room full of male executives. She recalled that, upon finishing her presentation, the men in the room only had question, “You are a woman, what do you know about cars?”

As we celebrate women’s month, Go Negosyo, in partnership with the ASEAN Business Advisory Council Philippines is set to stage the 10th Filipina Entrepreneurship Summit with the theme, “Bridging the Gap: Leading Women to Greater Prosperity through Mentorship, Money, and Market.”

Through a series of talks with women who have graced their way to the top, the summit aims to reinforce the entrepreneurial spirit of Filipinas in recognizing their capacity to be agents of economic change and progress.

The summit will feature a forum entitled “Leading Ladies: Making a Difference in the Corporate World,” which will bring to light prominent women taking the lead of some of the country’s biggest companies to share their insights on how women can advance their professional careers and make it to the top.

The discussion will tackle the everyday challenges women have to face in the male-dominated corporate world, at the same time address these challenges to empower women into making a difference in the corporate world.

The 10th Filipina Entrepreneurship Summit expects to gather 7000 participants hailing from various stakeholders such as women entrepreneurs, young entrepreneurs, students and administrators from the academe, business organizations, NGOs, cooperatives and government officials.

If you have not yet registered, visit www.gonegosyo.net to secure your seat and prepare to be amazed by the beauty and power of the Filipina women!

###

The Filipina Entrepreneurship Summit is an annual summit is centered on reinforcing the entrepreneurial spirit of the Filipino people, particularly the Filipina and recognizing their capacity to be agents of change and progress. It also aims to provide inspiration and support to the significance of women’s economic power by covering different entrepreneurship and empowerment topics to be highlighted by plenary talks and forums featuring prominent female personalities. Now on it’s 10th year, we invite you to be part of the biggest women negosyo summit and mentoring event of the year!

For more info., please call ‎‎‎(02) 631-5001 or email filipinasummit.gonegosyo@gmail.com